Lime feeding apparatus



Jan. 17, 1961 H. D. LETTS LIME FEEDING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 2'7, 1957.5 Sheets-Sheet 1 HAzcmD D. LETTS ATTOE M EYS Jan. 17,1961 H. D.-LETTSLIME FEEDING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 27, 1957 INVENTOR-QHmzou: D LET-rs W ATTOQMEYS LIME FEEDING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 27, 19575 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG-.3

INVENTOR. Hmao 1.1: D. LET-v.5

72mm wmm ATTOEHEYs Jan. 17, 1961 H. D. LETTS LIME FEEDING APPARATUS 5Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 2'7, 1957 \0 INVENTOR. HP QLD D. LETTSATTOBUEYS United States Patent O LIME FEEDING APPARATUS Harold D. Letts,Zelienople, Pa., assignor to Tasa Coal Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., acorporation of Pennsylvama Filed Sept. 27, 1957, SB!- No. 686,676

15 Claims. c1. 137-10117 This invention relates to apparatus for feedinglime in a slurry form, into a quanhty of water to produce a chemicalaction that will de-acidify the water.

By way of background, almost all states and other governmentalauthorities are concerned, to an ever-increasing extent, with thepollution of the natural water supply. In this connection, one form ofpollution which has very serious effects upon a stream or other naturalsupply of water is that which makes the stream acid. In thesecircumstances, the stream becomes unfit for use as a source of home orindustrial water supply, or for fishing or swimming. A stream thuspolluted is ruined for all practical purposes for many years, due to thefact that the acidity tends to remain in the stream even after theinitial cause of the acidity has long disappeared.

A situation in which this occurs is that resulting from coal miningoperations conducted in close proximity to a natural supply of water.Almost all coal mining operations fall within this category, it shouldbe noted, and it is desirable to have an understanding as to how thenatural water supply adjacent a coal mine becomes acid.

In the mining of coal, it is known that the coal and adjacent stratalying buried in the earth have sulphur in various forms associated withthe same. During the mining process, the sulfuritic materials areuncovered and exposed to air and moisture. These three elements, when incombination, oxidize to produce acid making substances. Thesesubstances, as they drain out of the mine, form sulfuric acid in thewater and deposit oxides of iron, commonly known as yellow boy, on thebottom of the stream.

Should acid be deposited in a stream in a suflicient amount, the streambecomes what is known as a mine acid stream, unfit for any of the normaluses indicated above. A depressing aspect of this type of pollution isthat the acid mine water continues to flow many years after the mininghas ceased.

In view of the above, many state governments, having become acutelyaware of the danger of polluting water by the deposit of mine acidstherein, have passed legislation intended to remedy the situation.Stringent laws have been passed relative to the discharge of waste acidsand coal mine acid water into the natural water supplies. A typical law,that of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, provides that no coal minewater containing as much as one part of acid per m'llion of water shallbe discharged into a clean stream. The law further requires that everycoal mine operator shall obtain a permit to discharge mine Water. Theconditions of the permits are generally such as to prohibit thedischarge of water containing even the slightest amount of acid.

Various methods are used to provide compliance with the laws, and ofcourse, the method chosen will depend, to a great extent, on the type ofmining operation, that is, whether the coal is being mined by stripmining or in socalled deep mines, the latter including all mines workedwith labor and equipment underground, such as shaft, drift, and slopemines. In strip mining, one method is to keep the water out of theworking. Then again, an other method is to keep drainage moving asregards that water which does get into the working strip. Still further,it is common practice to segregate sulfuric materials, to keep the samefrom contact with air and moisture, since only in these circumstancesare the acid substances formed. Then again, where water collects inpools on the mine floor or in sumps, and becomes acid, it is a practiceto neutralize these casual pools, through the use of lime.

In the controlling of the formation of acid water in strip mining,back-filling and planting methods are employed at the completion of thestripping operations.

Much the same methods are employed in connection with deep mines, and inparticular the neutralization of pools is employed. This, however, is arelatively expensive process, since it has been the practice to form aslurry of lime by manual action and including the stirring of the slurrywith a paddle, said slurry being fed to the input side of a pump whichpumps the acid water into a settling basin.

In this regard, while it is physically possible to neutralize water withhydrated lime, the economics of the problem are difiicult of solution.The requirement of a gasoline or diesel engine-driven pump or otherequipment, and the requirement of the constant labor or attendance of atleast one man for stirring the lime slurry,

obviously militates against a cheap, effective solution, particularly inview of the fact that it is necessary to provide an almost constantfeeding of the slurry into the water rather than a heavy discharge ofthe slurry thereinto at relatively infrequent intervals.

Further, with respect to backfilling, the basic acid forming conditionsare eliminated, it is true, and after a period of time acid is no longerformed. However, there is a period of time after backfilling duringwhich acid water will seep or issue from ofi or under the backfill.Again, the treatment of the acid water through the use of pumps,manually stirred slurries, etc., is expensive. This is especial-ly truewhere there may be numerous small discharges scattered over aconsiderable area that prevents the ready distribution of heavyequipment.

In view of the above, it is proposed to provide means for forming aslurry of lime, and for feeding the slurry in predetermined, meteredamounts, to a supply of water, wh'ch means will not require attendanceor servicing except at prescribed, relatively infrequent intervals by asingle worker, travelling on foot. Thus, the single worker, following adaily servicing routine, can service a large number of feeders formedaccording to the present invention and located at widely scatteredpo'nts.

Another object is to provide lime feeding apparatus of the characterstated which will be relatively light in weight, so as to be easilytransported by a few men on foot to the point of installation.

Still another object is to operate the device by means of a source ofpower which will be no more than the water itself, operable wheneverthere is a slight difference in elevation.

It is ap ropriate to note at this point that the ingredient in limewhich unites chemically with the acid to neutralize the same is calciumhydroxide (Ca(OH) Commercially available lime is called dehydrated lime,which is in powder form and which has to calcium hydroxide. Water isadded to the dry or dehydrated lime to make a slurry.

In this regard, a characteristic of dehydrated lime is its aflinity formoisture found in ambient air. Thus, upon being removed from itsshipping bag, the lime begins to attract moisture and therefore beginsto harden almost immediately, and eventually reverts almost to arock-like condition. While the hardening process does take a car-.-

tain amount of time, the lime will remain in a powder form for severaldays, depending upon the humidity of ambient air. This characteristic oflime makes it a difficult substance to feed in metered quantities andfurther, the lime has a decided tendency to adhere to the walls of anycontainer. The sticking and caking tendencies of lime thus present aproblem, which is overcome by the present invention.

The problem which has been encountered in neutralizing mine acid water,thus, is to feed metered quantities of lime, which lime has thecharacteristics noted immediately above, at frequent intervals into aquantity of water in a place where no source of power is availableexcept the passage of the water from a certain elevation to a slightlylower elevation, with a minimum of labor, a maximum amount ofdependability, and a characteristic of operating every day, 24 hours aday. The object of the present invention is to provide a solution tosuch a problem. In this connection, while the apparatus of the inventionis intended mainly for the feeding of lime to water, it is not limitedto this particular function and the device can be used to feed anypowdered or granular substance to a wide variety of liquids under theconditions described above.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claimsappended thereto, and from the annexed drawings, in which like referencecharacters designate like parts throughout the several views, andwherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of apparatus according to the presentinvention;

Figure 2 is an end elevational view of the apparatus as seen from theline 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal, vertical sectional view through theapparatus substantially on line 33 of Figure 2, the component parts ofthe device being shown in full and dotted lines in opposite extremepositions to which they are movable;

Figure 4 is a vertical, transverse sectional view through the device,substantially on line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a transverse, sectional view through the device,substantially on line 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary longitudinal sectional viewsubstantially on line 6-6 of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a horizontal sectional view looking upwardly from line 7-7of Figure 3;

Figure 8 is a view on the same cutting plane as Figure 6, in which theparts are shown in full lines as they appear when nearing the end of thedownward motion of the feeding assembly, and in dotted lines as theyappear in their extreme lower position; and

Figure 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary longitudinal sectional viewsubstantially on line 9-9 of Figure 2, with the parts in the positionassumed thereby when nearing the end of the movement in an upwarddirection, a striking assembly being shown in full and dotted lines inopposite extreme positions to which it is movable relative to anadjacent lime hopper.

Referring to the drawing in detail, a housing generally designated 10includes a flat, rectangular, normally horizontally disposed bottom wall12, supported at a low elevation above the ground surface G bydownwardly bowed feet 14 fixedly secured to bottom wall 12 at theseveral corners of the housing. Integral with the bottom wall 12 are endwalls 16, 18 respectively and side walls 20, 20 reinforced byhorizontally extending angle irons 21 fixedly secured thereto.

A support frame, generally designated 22, projecting upwardly from andrigid with housing 10, includes vertical, elongated corner posts 24 ofangle iron material, which may constitute extensions of corner membersof the frame of the housing. Fixedly connected between the corner postsat the respective ends of the device are end cross bars 26, 28 of theframe, cross bar 26 being of angle iron material and cross bar 28 beingof strap iron. Fixedly connected between the posts and extendinghorizontally ill along the respective sides of the frame, are side framemembers 30, 30 of angle iron material.

A hopper support frame generally designated 32, at one end of thedevice, includes vertical hopper support posts 34, fixedly connectedbetween the respective sides of the housing and the longitudinal framemembers 30. The members 34 cooperate with the adjacent posts 34 inproviding a rectangular enclosure for the hopper, and bounding saidenclosure at its opposite sides are side hopper frame members 36constituting extensions of the members 30, though formed of strap ironto facilitate insertion in the wall of the hopper.

At the base of the frame 22, there are provided, on the frame andhousing respectively, oppositely disposed, longitudinally contacting,angle iron side reinforcing bars 38, 38 (see Figures 2 and 4). These arefixedly secured to the housing and frame 22, and are also rigid with endreinforcing bars 40 (see Figure 2). Internal side reinforcing bars 42(see Figure 5) rigidify the upper edge of the upwardly opening housing.

The various framing arrangements, of course, might be varied in acommercial embodiment. It is mainly important to note, for the purposeof the present application, that the invention includes an upwardlyopening housing in the form of a container, adapted to hold a liquid ina manner to be described hereafter, and a skeleton type support frameprojecting over the housing and having incorporated therein a hoppersupport frame in which a hopper 44 is removably inserted in positionover the housing, all as clearly shown in Figure 3.

Referring to Figure 3, a pair of angle iron brace or reinforcing bars 46are rigid with the lower portion of the hopper 44, and rigid with theposts 34, 24, are horizontally extending abutment or stop bars 48extending transversely of the hopper support frame and adapted tounderlie the bars 46 to limit downward movement of the hopper when it isinserted in the support frame.

The hopper has a downwardly tapering lower portion 50, and fixedlysecured to the downwardly convergent opposite sides of said portion 50are identical but opposite hangers 52 of wide strap metal or the like,having vertically depending bottom portions formed with transverselyaligned, large circular openings 56 (Figure 3) loosely receiving theends of a cross-pin 54 welded to the underside of a feeder plate rigidat its back end with a transversely extending, vertically disposedstrike plate 58.

The plate 58, as shown in Figure 9, is connected to the rear end of aforwardly declining feeder plate 60, which is of channeled formation.The plate 60 is disposed below the bottom, dispensing opening 61 ofhopper 44, and to regulate the quantity of lime fed per stroke, thefeeder plate is adjustable upwardly or downwardly through the provisionof a threaded U bolt 62, the legs of which extend through smooth-walledopenings of angle brackets 64 fixedly secured to the front wall of thehopper, with nuts 66 being threaded upon the legs of the U bolt andbeing supported upon the brackets. The U bolt is in embracing relationto the plate 69 as best shown in Figure 7 and it will thus be seen thatthe plate is loosely suspended in position below the opening 61, and isfree to move both horizontally in Figure 9 and vertically, by reason ofthe disposition of the small diameter pin 54 and the large diameteropenings 56.

The adjustment of the U bolt 62 upwardly or downwardly has the effect ofreducing or enlarging the dispensing passage defined between the lowerend of the hopper and the feeder plate and also reduces or increases, asthe case may be, the inclination of the feeder plate.

Another adjustment of the feeder plate is provided for by an adjustableslide plate 68, which constitutes a gate (see Figure 2) having slots inits opposite sides through which extend studs that project outwardlyfrom the front wall or" the hopper. Wing nuts are threaded on the studs,and when tightened hold the slide plate 68 in selected positions ofadjustment toward or away from the feeder plate.

Subsequently herein, the manner of function of the feeder plate, duringits horizontal and vertical movements, and the manner in which saidmovements are imparted thereto, will be discussed in detail herein. Adjustments in the quantity of lime fed are effected not only by means ofthe adjustments previously specified, but also by varying the stroke ofa striking assembly which will also be described in detail hereinafter.

In any event, when the lime is caused to flow out of the hopper onto thefeeder plate, it drops from the feeder plate both by gravity and bybeing jarred loose therefrom, into a vertically extending lime conduit70 (see Figure 3), the lime being designated by the reference letter Land being caused to drop into the discharge end portion of an elongated,substantially horizontally extending water discharge channel 72 thatunderlies the bottom wall 12.

Within the housing, the majorpart of the housing space is used as awater compartment 74, into which water flows through inclined waterinlet troughs 76. Immediately below the troughs 76 there arehorizontally extending, short lengths of pipe 78 fixedly secured to thewall 16 and designed to facilitate transportation of the device,hoisting the same, etc. Similar pipes 80 are secured to the forward endwall 18, as shown in Figure 1.

Rigidly secured to the bottom wall 12, adjacent the rear wall thereof,is an upwardly opening socket 82, in which is fixedly engaged the lowerend of an elongated, vertically disposed guide support bar 84 the upperend of which is fixedly connected to an angular bracket 86, attachedfixedly to a transversely extending support bar 88 of inverted channelformation.

Fixedly secured to and projecting forwardly from rod 84 are verticallyspaced guides 90 in which is vertically reciprocable a bulb support rod92, to the lower end of which is connected a rubber ball valve or bulb94 movable into and out of seated position on a low, upwardly openingvalve seat 96, that is disposed about an inlet opening 97 communicatingbetween compartment 74 and channel 72.

The upper end of rod 92 is threaded and referring to Figures 3 and 8, apair of nuts 98 are threadedly engaged with the rod 92, to provide anadjustable stop.

The rod 92 is extended through a diametrically disposed opening of acylindrical, transversely extending, connector block 100, that extendsbetween and is rotatably engaged in a pair of laterally spaced arms 102rigid with and projecting forwardly from a transversely disposed sleeve104 (see Figure 7) extending between and rotatably supported uponvertically, upwardly extending standards 106 fixedly secured at theirlower ends to the support bar 88. Extending through the sleeve andthrough openings of the standards to provide for the rotatable mountingof the sleeve is a shaft or pin 108.

Expansion springs 110 at their upper ends are hooked on the ends of apin 112 that extends between and is carried by standards 106. Springs110, at their lower ends, are connected to one end of links 114, theother ends of which are pivotally connected at 115 (see Figure 3) to theouter ends of crank arms 116. Crank arms 116 are secured to the sleeve104 for rotation therewith, so that the crank arms 116 and the arms 102swing as a unit, as may be readily noted by comparing the full anddotted line positions of these components in Figure 3.

Limiting upward swinging movement of the arms 102 is a transverselyextending stop bar 118 fixedly connected between standards 106 and shownto best advantage in Figures 3 and 8.

Extending transversely of the housing, and fixedly secured to thehousingframe, is a horizontal support bar 120. Rigid with and extendingupwardly from bar 120 are vertical, transversely spaced standards 122(see Figures 5 and 9), and as shown in Figure 3, connected between theupper ends of the standards 106, 122 are parallel, horizontal side framemembers 124, constituting with the members 106 and 122 components of aninner framework generally designated 123. Also constituting parts of theinner framework, and reinforcing the same, are cross or brace plates126, 128 fixedly connected to the members 106, 124. Further reinforcingthe framing structure is an inclined plate 130 supported upon andextending between the members 124 in overlying relation thereto. Plate130 is in upwardly converging relation to and is fixedly secured to avertical, transversely disposed plate 132, also supported upon andextending between the members 124.

Plate 132 is extended upwardly above plate 130 and has a smooth-walledopening at its upper end, in which is freely slidable an elongated,horizontal bolt 134 extending in a fore-and-aft direction. A nut 136threaded on bolt 134 bears against plate 132 to limit forward movementof the bolt toward the hopper.

Bolt 134 is an eye bolt and at its forward end is pivotally connected at138 to the upper end of an inclined guide plate 140, the lower end ofwhich is connected to pins 142 carried by the members 124, whereby theplate is rockable upon the horizontal transverse axis defined by thepins 142, to selected positions of inclination. In other words, plate140 may be adjusted as to its angle of inclination by adjustment of therod 134 in an axial direction, which adjustment will tend to swing theplate 140 about its pivot axis to the selected, adjusted position.

Referring to Figures 3, 5 and 8, a pair of push rods 144 of elongated,straight formation are inclined in substantial correspondence with theinclination of the plate 140, and at their upper ends are provided withrollers 146 that roll upon the plate 140. The lower ends of the pushrods are pivotally connected at 148 to a pair of identical, transverselyspaced lever or float support arms 150, which extend almost the fulldistance between the back wall 16 and the line conduit 70, said arms 150being pivotally connected at their rear ends to the back wall 16 throughthe provision of pins 152.

Arms 150 are swingable about the axis defined by the pins 152, invertical planes between the full and dotted line positions shown inFigure 3. To the free ends of the arms there is fixedly connected, inposition below the arms, a large float 54 that rises and falls with thelevel of the water W (see Figure 3).

Fixedly secured at their lower ends to the arms 150 intermediate theends of the arms are upwardly projecting push bars 156. These areinclined out of perpendicularity to the length of the arms 150 and arein upwardly diverging relation to the elongated push rods 144. The pushbars 156, intermediate their ends, have short longitudinal slots andextending between the slots is a lower cross pin 158 the ends of whichare engaged in the slot. Similar slots are disposed near the upper endsof the push bars, and engaged in the same are the ends of an upper crosspin 160. Thus the pins have lost motion connections to the push bar.

Referring now to Figure 9, connected between the arms 102 is a pin 162,and overlying pin 162 is a floating lever 164 straight at its forwardend but having at its rear end an upwardly arched end portion 165overlying the block 100 in contact therewith. A pair of upper stop nuts166 are threaded on the rod 92 above the floating lever, with thefloating lever having a longitudinal slot 167 receiving the rod 92.

Further referring to Figure 9, a pivot pin 168 is connected between theupper ends of the standards 122, supporting a striker or hammer assemblygenerally designated 169. This includes an elongated hanger arm 170 tothe lower end of which is fixedly secured an elongated, heavy, solidlyconstituted, cylindrical hammer or striker 172, having a tapered forwardarm 173 adapted to be brought forcibly against plate 58 on swinging ofthe assembly 169 to the dotted line position shown in Figure 9.

The hanger arm 170 is formed with a rearwardly projecting extension 173intermediate its ends, formed with a transversely disposed sleeve 174(see Figure through which extends a pin 175 carrying rollers 176.

Further referring to Figure 5 and referring also to Figures 3 and 9,fixedly secured to the inner surfaces of the push rods 144 are inclinedcams 178 of triangular formation, having their lengths oblique to thelengths of the push rods. Both the top and bottom surfaces of the camsconstitute cam surfaces engageable by the rollers 176, depending uponwhether the push rods are being moved downwardly or upwardly.

Considering now the use of the device, it will be understood that -itcan be employed wherever there is even a very small amount of runningwater. This will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter. It issufiicient to note at this time, that assuming that float 154 is in itsuppermost position shown in full lines in Figure 3, all the othermovable components will also be in the full line position shown in thisfigure in the drawings. In other words, valve 94 will be open, and thestriker 172 will be in engagement with striker plate or anvil 58, havingjust delivered a blow thereto. The level of the water W will havereached its maximum at this point.

The arms 102 of the floating lever 164, the members 156, the springs110, links 114 and crank arms 116 all constitute part of a bulb actuatorassembly generally designated at 180. The assembly 180 is adapted foractuating the bulb or valve assembly generally designated 1S2,constituted by rod 92 and valve 94, between the upper and lowerpositions thereof shown in full and dotted lines, respectively, inFigure 3.

The assembly 180 is held in its raised position shown in full lines inFigure 3 by the tension of the springs 110, which are exerting upwardpull on links 114 tending to swing the crank arms 116 upwardly,counter-clockwise in Figure 3. This of course holds the arms 102upwardly, and as shown in Figure 3 arms 2 have the pin 162 bearingagainst the underside of the floating lever 164. Floating lever 164, atthis time, is thus tilted to the position shown in Figure 3 and alsoshown in Figure 6. The slotted end of the lever 164 bears against theupper stop 166 of rod 92 and is held in this position by the block 100.

Therefore, when this point is reached in the cycle of operation, theball valve 94 will be held off its seat 96 and the water will now runout of the compartment 74 through the channel 72. As the water passesout of the channel 72, it picks up the lime which was previouslydeposited in the channel, mixes with the lime, and proceeds therewith todischarge, providing a lime slurry that is discharged into the acidwater to neutralize the same.

Continuing the cycle of operation: as the water empties from the tank,the float 154 moves downwardly. Therefore, the upper pin 160 movesdownwardly and first contacts the floating lever 164. Since severalpounds of force are required to force the bulb actuating assembly 180over center against the tension of springs 110, the first result of thisis that the pressure of the pin 160 on the floating lever 164 causes thefloating lever 164 to rock upon its fulcrum, that is, upon the pin 162.The result is that the ball valve 94 is held suspended off its seat inits upper position until the link 114 moves over center, that is, acrossthe center defined by pin 108 (see Figure 6). The link 114 is moved overcenter, of course, by the rotational movement of the crank arms 116caused by the downward swinging of the members 102.

When the links travel over center, they snap into their new positionshown in Figure 9.

This position of the parts is also shown in dotted lines in Figure B andit will be seen that as the spring 110 contracts following movement ofthe links 114 over center, the members 102 are snapped downward to theirlower, dotted line positions of Figure 3. Block 100, as a result, nowbears against the stop means defined by the nuts 98, forcing rod 92downwardly to snap the ball valve to its lower, seated position.

Since water is continuously entering compartment 74 through the inlet76, the water entering the compartment begins to fill the same and thefloat 154 again begins to rise. In a short time, the lower pin 158contacts the arms 102 and begins to swing the same upwardly. During thispart of the cycle the lever 164 simply floats and the ball valve remainsseated because the nuts 98, 166 of the rods 92 are spaced apart adistance to permit a certain amount of lost motion of the components ofthe bulb actuating assembly. Further, the bulb or ball valve is beingheld down during this period by the force of water pressure within thetank.

When the water has filled sufliciently, float 154 swings the arms 102upwardly sufliciently to cause the crank arms 116 and link 114 to travelover center. As a result, once again the snap action results, wherebythe ball valve 94 is snapped to its upper position. The cycle is thuscompleted.

It has been found in practice that the floating lever has an importantpart in producing the action described above. In the cycle the upwardmotion of the float 154 can be compensated for, by adjustment in thespacing of the upper and lower sets of nuts 98, 166 of the rod 92. Thisis important since the ball valve must not be lifted until the float hasnearly completed its upward movement. The reason for this is that if theball valve is lifted even a slight amount before the push rods 144 havemoved upwardly and tripped the striker assembly 169, the leakage ofwater out of the compartment will balance the inflow of water and thefloat 154 will stop rising. As a result, the striker would not operateand the cycle would come to a halt. Therefore, the upward movement ofthe components can be controlled by adjusting the distance between therods 98, 166, with the space being adjusted so that the ball valve willnot be lifted at all until after the push rods 154 have swung thestriker assembly 169 from its dotted to its full line position of Figure9, and have released said striker assembly to permit the same to returnto its normal position shown in dotted lines in Figure 9 to cause acharge of lime to be fed from the hopper off the feeder plate into theconduit 70.

The spacing between the upper and lower nuts 166 and 98 creates aproblem with respect to the downward motion of the float 154, that is,with respect to the discharge half of the cycle of operation. Were itnot for the floating lever 164, the ball valve 94 would follow thedownward motion of the float causing the ball valve to seat before thepush rods 144 have reached their initial or cocking position withrespect to the striking assembly. If this were to happen, the waterlevel would begin to rise and the float 154 would start upwardly withoutoperating the striker means.

The bulb actuating means having the floating lever thus has a veryimportant part in proper operation of the invention. A predeterminedtime lag is provided by the arrangemnet, to assure the proper operationof the striker means and to insure complete reliability of operation.

Considering now the cycle of the striker means: starting 7 with thelowest position of the float 154 (see the dotted lines in Figure 3) asthe float rises the cams 178 engage the rollers 176 which would bemounted on ball bearings. During the upward movement of the float, thepush rods 144 will move upwardly, and as a result, the top surfaces ofthe cams 178 engage the rollers, so that the rollers roll upon said topsurfaces, causing the striker assembly to swing from its full to itsdotted line positions of Figure 3. When the striker assembly has beenswung rearwardly and upwardly, the rollers travel off the rear edges ofthe cams 178 and the striker assembly now swings free, delivering astrong blow to the platel58.

The height to which the hammer 172 is lifted is adjusted by theadjustment of the plate 140, which when adjusted to a more nearlyvertical position will cause the rollers 176 to pass off the rear edgesof the cams at a later time. Consequently, the hammer is raised to ahigher elevation, thus causing the hammer to swing toward the plate 58over a greater distance, thus delivering a heavier blow.

After the hammer delivers its blow to the plate 58, it remains in thedotted line position shown in Figure 9, and as the push rods 144 movedownwardly, the inclined lower cam surfaces of cams 178 contact the topsurfaces of the rollers 176. Further downward movement of the push rodsthus causes said push rods to swing rearwardly and to pass behindrollers 176 until the cams clear the rollers and move to positions belowthe same. Then, since the mounting of the push rods is such that theirown weight causes them to fall forwardly until the rollers 146 againbear upon the inclined guide plate 140, the push rods will have returnedto the cocked position, completing the cycle of the striker mechanism.

Since the hangers 52 are welded to the hopper 44, the hopper absorbssome of the impact or blow delivered by the hammer 172. The rest of theimpact, in fact, the main portion thereof, is transmitted directly tothe feeder plate. The plate 58 and hence the feeder plate 60, under theimpact received from the hammer 172, are forcibly shifted forwardly,that is, to the right in Figure 9. Therefore, the feeder plate 60 willbe shifted horizontally, with the direction of movement of the feederplate under the blow of the hammer also having a vertical component, byreason of the fact that the pin 54 tends to ride upwardly on the edgesof the openings 56, moved in either direction from its Figure 9position.

The shock absorbed by the hopper is intentionally designed to overcomethe caking and sticking tendency of the lime, so that the lime withinthe hopper is continuously, by reasons of the periodic blows, shakenloose. This is an important feature of the invention because even withan electric vibrator on the hopper, which vibrator is provided on somepower-driven feeders, the lime tends to cake and bridge over, stoppingthe flow. In the present invention, however, thorough experimentaltesting, through the use of a full-sized device under true workingconditions actually experienced in the field, has shown that without anytype of power other than that supplied by the water moving into thecompartment 74, all functions are carried out efliciently, including thefunction of continuously preventing caking of the lime.

To summarize the complete cycle of operation briefly: starting with thetank emply and float 154 on the bottom, bulb 94 is seated. The waterentering compartment 74 through inlets '76 raises the float, which inturn causes the striker or hammer to be raised. The float continues torise, bulb 94 remains seated, and the striker assembly is cleared by theupwardly moving cams 178, causing the assembly to swing toward thehopper, striking plate 58. This causes the measured or regulated chargeof lime to fall into the water discharge conduit 72. Next, with thecontinued rise of float 154, the bulb actuating assembly 180 is tripped,and the over center spring action causes bulb 94 to be snapped to itsunseated position, so that water leaves compartment 74 and rushesthrough channel 72, picking up the deposited charge of lime and mixingthoroughly therewith.

The over center spring-loaded action of the bulb actuating assembly 180,operating by means of the floating lever action, holds the bulb 94 offits seat while the water is being emptied from compartment 74 and float154 is descending. When float 154 drops to a point near the bottom, thepush rods 144 are returned to their cocked position. Then, the continueddownward movement of the float causes the actuator assembly 180 to snapover center, seating the bulb 94 under the pressure of the springs 110,thus assuring the complete seal of the bulb on the seat and completingthe operating cycle.

It is important to note that the stream of water entering the tank isnever interrupted. It flows into the tank or compartment 74 constantly.In this connection, in considering the important features of theinvention, and the reasons for the use of mechanisms such as have beendescribed herein, it is worth noting that one might argue that having aconstant flow of water over a diiference in elevation will deliversuflicient power to operate a device powered by a water wheel. However,it is to be noted that in case the volume of water should decrease to aminute quantity, which might possibly happen during periods of drought,etc. a water wheel would not give enough power to actuate a device suchas the striker assembly, which is required to prevent caking andsticking of the lime. The instant invention, as distinguished from suchan arrangement, will operate even if the flow of water is reduced to aminute trickle. Further, in such an instance, there is an automaticregulation of the amount of lime fed to the discharge conduit 72 inrelation to the volume of water. This is due to the fact that the limeis fed at one charge per tankor compartmentfull of water. Further, theinstant invention can handle the treatment of a larger volume of waterthan can be passed through the same, that is, the device can be used totreat a stream which in and of itself would normally be too great inquantity and speed of flow to pass through the device. In such aninstance, it is possible to split the stream of water, taking part of itthrough the device, increasing the charge of lime per tankful of waterand then bringing the divided streams into confluence downstream fromthe apparatus.

It is of importance to note that the float and striker mechanism of theinvention constitutes a force accumulator. The force developed by therising float at any particular instant is relatively small, but by meansof said mechanism, such force is accumulated in the striker. By reasonof the construction illustrated and described, the accumulated force isreleased instantly to deliver an instantaneous blow of many times theinstantaneous force of the float. This multiplication of force isnecessary in order to deliver an impact or blow against the plate 58suflicient to insure completely reliable feeding, without caking orsticking of the material such as dehydrated lime.

Another feature of importance is that there is no direct connectionbetween the actuating force and the material being fed. Therefore, acaking or sticking of the material being fed will not stop the operationof the mechanism. Even though the material should cake or bridge withinthe hopper, the device will continue to operate and eventually willbreak up the caking, since at periodic intervals the hopper willcontinue to be struck, as will the feeder plate, to eventually break upany lump or cake that may tend to form, thus to renew the feeding of thelime.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confinedto the specific use or uses thereof described above since it may beutilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the inventionto be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated anddescribed, since such construction is only intended to be illustrativeof the principles, it being considered that the invention comprehendsany minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scopeof the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for intermixing a comminuted material with a liquid,comprising: a structure including a hopper assembly for said material, atank for said liquid, and a discharge channel arranged for flow of saidmaterial and liquid thereinto from the hopper assembly and tankrespectively, for inter-mixing of the material and liquid in the channelto form a slurry; valve means within the tank arranged to control theflow of liquid from the tank into the channel; valve operating meansresponding to rising of the liquid level in the tank for unseating thevalve means on rising of the level to a predetermined height; and astriker mechanism connected with and actuated by the valve operatingmeans to strike the hopper assembly at least not subsequent to theoperation of the valve means, for agitating said material and shakingfrom the hopper assembly a charge of the material to be mixed in thechannel with the liquid, said striker mechanism including a hammerassembly mounted upon said structure for movement between one positionspaced from the hopper assembly and another position in engagement withsaid hopper assembly, said hammer assembly being under bias continuouslytending to drive the same forcibly from said one to said other positionagainst the hopper assembly, said valve operating means being mounted toeffect biasing of the hammer assembly, before unseating of the valvemeans, to said one position and thereafter free the hammer assembly fortravel to said other position.

2. Apparatus for mixing a comminuted material with a. liquid, comprisinga structure including a hopper assembly for said material, a tank forsaid liquid, and a discharge channel arranged for flow of said materialand liquid thereinto from the hopper assembly and tank respectively, forintermixing of the material and liquid in the channel to form a slurry,said hopper assembly including a hopper having a discharge opening andfeeder plate means suspended from the hopper below the dischargeopening; valve means within the tank arranged to control the flow ofliquid from the tank into the channel; valve operating means respondingto rising of the liquid level in the tank for unseating the valve meanson rising of the level to a predetermined height; and a strikermechanism actuated by the valve operating means and arranged in positionto strike the feeder plate means at least not subsequent to theoperation of the valve means, for agitating said material and shaking acharge of the material through the discharge opening and off the feederplate means to be mixed in the channel with the liquid, said strikermechanism including a hammer assembly mounted upon said structure formovement between one position spaced from the feeder plate means andanother position in engagement with said feeder plate means, said hammerassembly being under continuous bias tending to drive the same forciblyfrom said one to said other position against the feeder plate means, thevalve operating means being mounted to effect biasing of the hammerassembly, before unseating of the valve means, to said one pos1t1on andthereafter free the hammer assembly for travel to said other position. I

3. Apparatus for mixing a comminuted material with a liquid, comprisinga structure including a hopper assembly for said material, a tank forsaid liquid, and a d1scharge channel arranged for how of said materialand liquid thereinto from the hopper assembly and tank respectively, forintermixing of the material and liquid in the channel to form a slurry,said hopper assembly including a hopper having a discharge opening andfeeder plate means suspended from the hopper below the dischargeopening; valve means within the tank arranged to control the flow ofliquid from the tank into the channel; valve operating means respondingto rising of the liquid level in the tank for unseating the valve meanson rising of the level to a predetermined height; and a strikermechanism swingably supported on said structure in position to be swungby the valve operating means, said mechanism being arranged in positionto swing against and strike the feeder plate means at least notsubsequent to operation of the valve means, for agitating said materialand shaking a charge of the material through the discharge opening andoff the feeder plate means to be mixed in the channel with the liquid.

4. Apparatus for mixing a comminuted material with a liquid, comprisinga structure including a hopper assembly for said material, a tank forsaid liquid, and a discharge channel arranged for flow of said materialand liquid thereinto from the hopper assembly and tank respectively, forintermixing of the material and liquid in the channel to form a slurry,said hopper assembly including a hopper having a discharge opening andfeeder plate means suspended from the hopper below the dischargeopening; valve means including a ball valve and a valve support rodextending upwardly therefrom, said valve and rod being mounted withinthe tank for vertical movement, the tank having an outlet in which thevalve normally seats when shifted downwardly, said outlet opening intothe channel for flow of liquid from the tank into the channel when thevalve is unseated; valve operating means responding to rising of theliquid level in the tank for elevating the rod to unseat the valve, onrising of said level to a predetermined height; and a striker mechanismswingably supported on said stnlcture in position to be swung by thevalve operating means, said mechanism being arranged in position toswing against and strike the feeder plate means at least not subsequentto operation of the valve means, for agitating said material and shakinga charge of the material through the discharge opening and oif thefeeder plate means to be mixed in the channel with the liquid.

5. Apparatus for mixing a comminuted material with a liquid, comprisinga structure including a hopper assembly for said material, a tank forsaid liquid, and a discharge channel arranged for flow of said materialand liquid thereinto from the hopper assembly and tank respectively, forintermixing of the material and liquid in the channel to form a slurry,said hopper assembly including a hopper having a discharge opening andfeeder plate means suspended from the hopper below the dischargeopening; valve means including a ball valve and a valve support rodextending upwardly therefrom, said valve and rod being mounted withinthe tank for vertical movement, the tank having an outlet in which thevalve normally seats when shifted downwardly, said outlet opening intothe channel for fiow of liquid from the tank into the channel when thevalve is unseated, valve operating means responding to rising of theliquid level in the tank for elevating the rod to unseat the valve, onrising of said level to a predetermined height, said valve operatingmeans including an arm pivoted in the tank to swing in a vertical plane,and a float carried by said arm; and a striker mechanism swingablysupported on said structure in position to be swung by the valveoperating means, said mechanism being arranged in position to swingagainst and strike the feeder plate means at least not subsequent tooperation of the valve means, for agitating said material and shaking acharge of the material through the discharge opening and off the feederplate means to be mixed in the channel with the liquid.

6. Apparatus for mixing a comminuted material with a liquid, comprisinga structure including a hopper assembly for said material, a tank forsaid liquid, and a discharge channel arranged for flow of said materialand liquid thereinto from the hopper assembly and tank respectively, forintermixing of the material and liquid in the channel to form a slurry,said hopper assembly including a hopper having a discharge opening andfeeder plate means suspended from the hopper below the dischargeopening; valve means including a ball valve and a valve support rodextending upwardly therefrom, said valve and rod being mounted withinthe tank for vertical movement, the tank having an outlet in which thevalve normally seats when shifted downwardly, said outlet opening intothe channel for fiow of liquid from the tank into the channel when thevalve is unseated, valve operating means responding to rising of theliquid level in the tank for elevating the rod to unseat the valve, onrising of said level to a predetermined height, said valve operatingmeans including an arm pivoted in the tank to swing in a vertical plane,and a float carried by said arm, said valve operating means furtherincluding a push rod extending upwardly from the arm and a cam carriedby the push rod; and a striker mechanism swingably supported in saidstructure in position to be biased by said cam away from the hopper onupward movement of the push rod, said cam being arranged to clear saidstriker mechanism upon continued movement of said push rod, saidmechanism being arranged to swing in a return direction against thefeeder plate means when cleared by the cam, for agitating said materialand shaking a charge of the same through the discharge opening and offthe feeder plate means once in each cycle of operation of the valve, formixing of said charge in the channel with the liquid.

7. Apparatus for mixing a comminuted material with a liquid comprising:a structure including a hopper assembly for said material, a tank forthe liquid, said tank having an inlet disposed for receiving thecontinuous flow of a stream of the liquid, said tank having a dischargechannel arranged for flow of said material and liquids thereinto fromthe hopper assembly and tank respectively, the inlet being elevatedabove the discharge channel, said discharge channel being adapted forintermixing of the material and liquid therein to form a slurry, thehopper assembly including a hopper having a discharge opening and feederplate means loosely suspended from the hopper below the dischargeopening; valve means including a ball valve and a valve support rodextending upwardly therefrom, said valve and rod being mounted withinthe tank for vertical movement, the tank having an outlet in which thevalve normally seats when shifted downwardly, said outlet opening intothe channel for flow of liquid from the tank into the channel when thevalve is nnseated, valve operating means responding to rising of theliquid level in the tank for elevating the rod to unseat the valve, onrising of said level to a predetermined height, said valve operatingmeans including an arm pivoted in the tank to swing in a vertical plane,and a float carried by said arm, said valve operating means furtherincluding a push rod extending upwardly from the arm and a cam carriedby the push rod; and a striker mechanism swingably supported in saidstructure in position to be biased by said cam away from the hopper onupward movement of the push rod, said cam being arranged to clear saidstriker mechanism upon continued movement of said push rod, saidmechanism being arranged to swing in a return direction against thefeeder plate means when cleared by the cam, for agitating said materialand shaking a charge of the same through the discharge opening and offthe feeder plate means once in each cycle of operation of the valve, formixing of said charge in the channel with the liquid.

8. Apparatus for mixing a comminuted material with a liquid comprising:a structure including a hopper assembly for said material, a tank forthe liquid, said tank having an inlet disposed for receiving thecontinuous flow of a stream of the liquid, said tank having a dischargechannel arranged for flow of said material and liquids thereinto fromthe hopper assembly and tank respectively, the inlet being elevatedabove the discharge channel, said discharge channel being adapted forintermixing of the material and liquid therein to form a slurry, thehopper assembly including a hopper having a discharge opening and feederplate means loosely suspended from the hopper below the dischargeopening; valve means including a ball valve and a valve support rodextending upwardly therefrom, said valve and rod being mounted withinthe tank for vertical movement, the tank having an outlet in which thevalve normally seats when shifted downwardly, said outlet opening intothe channel for flow of liquid from the tank into the channel when thevalve is unseated, valve operating means responding to rising of theliquid level in the tank for elevating the rod to unseat the valve, onrising of said level to a predetermined height, said valve operatingmeans including an arm pivoted in the tank toswing in a vertical plane,and a float carried by said arm, said valve operating means furtherincluding a push rod extending upwardly from the arm and a cam carriedby the push rod, the valve operating means additionally including avalve actuator assembly operated by said arm and disposed for actuatingthe valve to its seated and nnseated positions respectively by a snapaction; and a striker mechanism swingably supported in said structure inposition to be biased by said cam away from the hopper on upwardmovement of the push rod, said cam being arranged to clear said strikermechanism upon continued movement of said push rod, said mechanism beingarranged to swing in a return direction against the feeder plate meanswhen cleared by the cam, for agitating said material and shaking acharge of the same through the discharge opening and off the feederplate means once in each cycle of operation of the valve, for mixing ofsaid charge in the channel with the liquid.

9. Apparatus for mixing a comminuted material with a liquid comprising:a structure including a hopper assembly for said material, a tank forthe liquid, said tank having an inlet disposed for receiving thecontinuous flow of a stream of the liquid, said tank having a dischargechannel arranged for flow of said material and liquid thereinto from thehopper assembly and tank respectively, the inlet being elevated abovethe discharge channel, said discharge channel being adapted forintermixing of the material and liquid thereinto form a slurry, thehopper assembly including a hopper having a discharge opening and feederplate means loosely suspended from the hopper below the dischargeopening; valve means including a ball valve and a valve support rodextending upwardly therefrom, said valve and rod being mounted withinthe tank for vertical movement, the tank having an outlet in which thevalve normally seats when shifted downwardly, said outlet opening intothe channel for flow of liquid from the tank into the channel when thevalve is nnseated, valve operating means responding to rising of theliquid level in the tank for elevating the rod to unseat the valve, onrising of said level to a predetermined height, said valve operatingmeans including an arm pivoted in the tank to swing in a vertical plane,and a float carried by said arm, said valve operating means furtherincluding a push rod extending upwardly from the arm and a cam carriedby the push rod, the valve operating means additionally including avalve actuator assembly operated by said arm and disposed for actuatingthe valve to its seated and nnseated positions respectively by a snapaction, said valve actuator assembly including over center spring meansmovable over center during rising and falling of the float to effectsaid snap action; and a striker mechanism swingably supported in saidstructure in position to be biased by said cam away from the hopper onupward movement of the push rod, said cam being arranged to clear saidstriker mechanism upon continued movement of said push rod, saidmechanism being arranged to swing in a return direction against thefeeder plate means when cleared by the cam, for agitating said materialand shaking a charge of the same through the discharge opening and offthe feeder plate means once in each cycle of operation of the valve, formixing of said charge in the channel with the liquid.

10. Apparatus for mixing a comminuted material with a liquid comprising:a structure including a hopper assembly for said material, a tank forthe liquid, said tank having an inlet disposed for receiving thecontinuous flow of a stream of the liquid, said tank having a dischargechannel arranged for flow of said material and liquids thereinto fromthe hopper assembly and tank respectively, the inlet being elevatedabove the discharge channel, said discharge channel being adapted forintermixing of the material and liquid therein to form a slurry, thehopper assembly including a hopper having a discharge opening and feederplate means loosely suspended from the hopper below the dischargeopening; valve means including a ball valve and a valve support rodextending upwardly therefrom, said valve and rod being mounted withinthe tank for vertical movement, the tank having an outlet in which thevalve normally seats when shifted downwardly, said outlet opening intothe channel for flow of liquid from the tank into the channel when thevalve is unseated, valve operating means responding to rising of theliquid level in the tank for elevating the rod to unseat the valve, onrising of said level to a predetermined height, said valve operatingmeans including an arm pivoted in the tank to swing in a vertical plane,and a float carried by said arm, said valve operating means furtherincluding a push rod extending upwardly from the arm and a cam carriedby the push rod, the valve operating means additionally including avalve actuator assembly operated by said arm and disposed for actuatingthe valve to its seated and unseated positions respectively by a snapaction, said valve actuator assembly including over center spring meansmovable over center during rising and falling of the float to effectsaid snap action, said valve actuator assembly further including an armmember pivoted on said structure and movable with the over center springmeans, said rod including spaced abutments engageable by the arm memberon upward and downward movement of the arm member to effect the verticalmovement of the rod, said arm including stops engageable with the armmember to effect the swinging movement of the arm member responsive tothe upward and downward movement of said arm; and a striker mechanismswingably supported in said structure in position to be biased by saidcam away from the hopper on upward movement of the push rod, said cambeing arranged to clear said striker mechanism upon continued movementof said push rod, said mechanism being arranged to swing in a returndirection against the feeder plate means when cleared by the cam, foragitating said material and shaking a charge of the same through thedischarge opening and off the feeder plate means once in each cycle ofoperation of the valve, for mixing of said charge in the channel withthe liquid.

11. Apparatus for mixing a comminuted material with a liquid comprising:a structure including a hopper assembly for said material, a tank forthe liquid, said tank having an inlet disposed for receiving thecontinuous flow of a stream of the liquid, said tank having a dischargechannel arranged for flow of said material and liquids thereinto fromthe hopper assembly and tank respectively, the inlet being elevatedabove the discharge channel, said discharge channel being adapted forintermixing of the material and liquid therein to form a slurry, thehopper assembly including a hopper having a discharge opening and feederplate means loosely suspended from the hopper below the dischargeopening; valve means including a ball valve and a valve support rodextending upwardly therefrom, said valve and rod being mounted withinthe tank for vertical movement, the tank having an outlet in which thevalve normally seats when shifted downwardly, said outlet opening intothe channel for flow of liquid from the tank into the channel when thevalve is unseated, valve operating means responding to rising of theliquid level in the tank for elevating the rod to unseat the valve, onrising or. said level to a predetermined height, said valve operatingmeans including an arm pivoted in the tank to swing in a vertical plane,and a float carried by said arm, said valve operating means furtherincluding a push rod extending upwardly from the arm and a cam carriedby the push rod, the valve operating means additionally in cluding avalve actuator assembly operated by said arm and disposed for actuatingthe valve to its seated and unseated positions respectively by a snapaction, said valve actuator assembly including over center spring meansmovable over center during rising and falling of the float to effectsaid snap action, said valve actuator assembly further including an armmember pivoted on said structure and movable with the over center springmeans, said rod including spaced abutments engageable by the arm memberon upward and downward movement of the arm member to effect the verticalmovement of the rod, said arm including stops engageable with the armmember to effect the swinging movement of the arm member responsive tothe upward and downward movement of said arm, the valve actuatorassembly further including a floating lever loosely, pivotally supportedupon the rod and adapted for creating a time lag in the operation of theover center spring means to produce the snap action of the valve to theseated and unseated positions thereof at prescribed times during thecycle of operation of the valve means; and a striker mechanism swingablysupported in said structure in position to be biased by said cam awayfrom the hopper on upward movement of the push rod, said cam beingarranged to clear said striker mechanism upon continued movement of saidpush rod, said mechanism being arranged to swing in a return directionagainst the feeder plate means when cleared by the cam, for agitatingsaid material and shaking a charge of the same through the dischargeopening and off the feeder plate means once in each cycle of operationof the valve, for mixing of said charge in the channel with the liquid.

12. Apparatus for mixing a comminuted material with a liquid, comprisinga structure including a hopper assembly for said material, a tank forsaid liquid, and a discharge channel arranged for flow of said materialand liquid thereinto from the hopper assembly and tank respectively, forintermixing of the material and liquid in the channel to form a slurry,said hopper assembly including a hopper having a discharge opening andfeeder plate means suspended from the hopper below the dischargeopening; valve means within the tank arranged to control the flow ofliquid from the tank into the channel; valve operating means respondingto rising of the liquid level in the tank for unseating the valve meanson rising of the level to a predetermined height; and a strikermechanism swingably supported on said structure in position to be swungby the valve operating means, said mechanism being arranged in positionto swing against and strike the feeder plate means at least notsubsequent to operation of the valve means, for agitating said materialand shaking a charge of the material through the discharge opening andoff the feeder plate means to be mixed in the channel with the liquid,said mechanism including a hammer swinging toward and away from thehopper assembly in a vertical plane and having a free lower end formedwith a head comprising the portion of the hammer striking the hopperassembly, the axis of the hammer being disposed at the upper endthereof, said hammer being moved away from the hopper assembly by thevalve operating means, said operating means freeing the hammer formovement toward the hopper assembly following said movement away fromthe hopper assembly, the hammer having free swinging movement bygravitational action when so freed to deliver a sudden, heavy blow tothe hopper assembly.

13. Apparatus for mixing a comminuted material with a liquid, comprisinga structure including a hopper assembly for said material, a tank forsaid liquid, and a discharge channel arranged for flow of said materialand liquid thereinto from the hopper assembly and tank respectively, forintermixing of the material and liquid in the channel to form a slurry,said hopper assembly including a hopper having a discharge opening andfeeder plate means suspended from the hopper below the dischargeopening; valve means within the tank arranged to control the flow ofliquid from the tank into the channel; valve operating means respondingto rising of the liquid level in the tank for unseating the valve meanson rising of the level to a predetermined height; and a strikermechanism swingably supported on said structure in position to be swungby the valve operating means, said mech anism being arranged in positionto swing against and strike the feeder plate means at least notsubsequent to operation of the valve means, for agitating said materialand shaking a charge of the material through the discharge opening andoff the feeder plate means to be mixed in the channel with the liquid,said mechanism including a hammer swinging toward and away from thehopper assembly in a vertical plane and having a free lower end formedwith a head comprising the portion of the hammer striking the hopperassembly, the axis of the hammer being disposed at the upper endthereof, said hammer being moved away from the hopper assembly by thevalve operating means, said operating means freeing the hammer formovement toward the hopper assembly following said movement away fromthe hopper assembly, the hammer having free swinging movement bygravitational action when so freed to deliver a sudden, heavy blow tothe hopper assembly, the valve operating means including a rodprojecting upwardly adjacent the hammer and having up-and-down movementin the general direction of its length during regular operation of thevalve operating means, and a cam on the rod cammingly biasing the hammeraway from the hopper assembly on movement of the rod in one direction.

14. Apparatus for mixing a comminuted material with a liquid, comprisinga structure including a hopper assembly for said material, a tank forsaid liquid, and a discharge channel arranged for flow of said materialand liquid thereinto from the hopper assembly and tank respectively, forintermixing of the material and liquid in the channel to form a slurry,said hopper assembly including a hopper having a discharge opening andfeeder plate means suspended from the hopper below the dischargeopening; valve means within the tank arranged to control the flow ofliquid from the tank into the channel; valve operating means respondingto rising of the liquid level in the tank for unseating the valve meanson rising of the level to a predetermined height; and a strikermechanism swingably supported on said structure in position to be swungby the valve operating means, said mechanism being arranged in positionto swing against and strike the feeder plate means at least notsubsequent to operation of the valve means, for agitating said materialand shaking a charge of the material through the discharge opening andoff the feeder plate means to be mixed in the channel wtih the liquid,said mechanism including a hammer swinging toward and away from thehopper assembly in a vertical plane and having a free lower end formedwith a head comprising the portion of the hammer striking the hopperassembly, the axis of the hammer being disposed at the upper endthereof, said hammer being moved away from the hopper assembly by thevalve operating means, said operating means freeing the hammer formovement toward the hopper assembly following said movement away fromthe hopper assembly, the hammer having free swinging movement bygravitational action when so freed to deliver a sudden, heavy blow tothe hopper assembly, the valve operating means including a rodprojecting upwardly adjacent the hammer and having up-and-down movementin the general direction of its length during regular operation of thevalve operating means, and a cam on the rod cammingly biasing the hammeraway from the hopper assembly on movement of the rod in one direction,said cam being triangularly shaped with a sloped surface constitutingthe hammer-biasing cam surface thereof.

15. Apparatus for mixing a comminuted material with a liquid, comprisinga structure including a hopper assembly for said material, a tank forsaid liquid, and a discharge channel arranged for flow of said materialand liquid thereinto from the hopper assembly and tank respectively, forintermixing of the material and liquid in the channel to form a slurry,said hopper assembly including a hopper having a discharge opening andfeeder plate means suspended from the hopper below the dischargeopening; valve means within the tank arranged to control the flow ofliquid from the tank into the channel; valve operating means respondingto rising of the liquid level in the tank for unseating the valve meanson rising of the level to a predetermined height; and a strikermechanism swingably supported on said structure in position to be swungby the valve operating means, said mechanism being arranged in positionto swing against and strike the feeder plate means at least notsubsequent to operation of the valve means, for agitating said materialand shaking a charge of the material through the discharge opening andoff the feeder plate means to be mixed in the channel with the liquid,said mechanism including a hammer swinging toward and away from thehopper assembly in a vertical plane and having a free lower end formedwith a head comprising the portion of the hammer striking the hopperassembly, the axis of the hammer being disposed at the upper endthereof, said hammer being moved away from the hopper assembly by thevalve operating means, said operating means freeing the hammer formovement toward the hopper assembly following said movement away fromthe hopper assembly, the hammer having free swinging movement bygravitational action when sofreed to deliver a sudden,

heavyblow to the hopper assembly, the valve operating means including arod projecting upwardly adjacent the hammer and having up-and-downmovement in the general direction of its length during regular operationof the valve operating means, and a cam on the rod cammingly biasing thehammer away from the hopper assembly on movement of the rod in onedirection, said cam being triangularly shaped with a sloped surfaceconstituting the hammer-biasing cam surface thereof, said cam having ahigh point on said surface thereof off of which the hammer rides to befreed for its gravitational swinging movement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,133,092 Buckley Mar. 23, 1915 2,044,326 Pickell June 16, 19362,116,105 Eaton May 3, 1938 2,145,052 Lund Jan. 24, 1939 2,626,728Harper Jan. 27, 1953 2,678,917 Schoenfeld May 18, 1954 2,732,850Tewksbury Jan. 31, 1956 2,750,073 Coffman June 12, 1956 2,760,820 CireseAug. 28, 1956 2,793,940 Bennett May 28, 1957

